MILAN — With the opening of its first European flagship, Juicy Couture is injecting Milan with a ray of California sunshine.
The 3,000-square-foot store that opens today is a stepping-stone for Juicy Couture’s expansion in Europe. England is next on the agenda.
“Italy in many ways is the epicenter of fashion and the European country that initially best responded to our product,” said Juicy Couture co-founder Gela Nash-Taylor in a phone interview. “We were so excited when we found out that we had a space on Via della Spiga, my favorite street in Milan, that I couldn’t stop jumping up and down.”
Certainly the brand’s West Coast pizzazz is new for Milan’s tony shopping district.
“When Pam [Skaist-Levy, her partner] and I first came to Milan, we were mesmerized by the elegance of the women dressed in dark colors and with perfect accessories, but we think we can definitely put Juicy Couture on the map with its combination of L.A. glamour, universal fit and casual luxury,” said Nash-Taylor.
The two-floor space fans out into a series of rooms meant to re-create the rocker-meets-Old English manor style found in the home of Nash-Taylor and her husband, Duran Duran member John Taylor.
“There’s a lot of ourselves in the store, and of the brand’s contemporary blend of cultures,” said Nash-Taylor.
The company’s full lineup is carried in the store — Juicy Couture for men, women and children; accessories, and the Couture Couture line. First-year sales projections were unavailable.
Within the store, certain elements — the central jumbo birdcage, the baby pink resin knight and the candy-filled glass jars — are signature elements found in other Juicy units, but the white Carrara marble floors, the white stuccoed ceilings and the lacquered wood fireplace frame are exclusive to Milan.
Other elements are charcoal gray lacquered boiserie, a candy-floss pink glass partition, wrought iron panels, garden urn-shaped showcases and mirrored columns.